Blog

365 days since I was in my last appointment at the Royal Children's Hospital where they said they 'couldn't handle my case' anymore and that I needed to leave. After months of me fighting for correct treatment and the right to pain relief they told me they had nothing else to offer. In the 365 days since then I have found an amazing new clinic because of my surgeons contacts (and his willingness to do anything to get me into an adult facility), been able to correct my walking and improve my pain. I am one of the lucky ones. Children with chronic pain are not able to get correct treatment from the children's hospital because of a gap in the system. The pain team can not admit people into the hospital or give them treatment because of funding which means that people with chronic pain do not have access to relief or help. There is only one other hospital in Melbourne that takes on kids with chronic pain but they have even less funding. So, we have nowhere else to go because all adult facilities are off limits and the children's hospital has nothing else to offer. This is something that I am hoping to change soon and I have already started on the long road to changing the system and giving adolescents with chronic pain a fair chance.